Abdul Latif Baloch, better known by his screen name Saqi (2 April 1925 – 22 December 1986), was a Pakistani film and television actor. He is known for mostly playing supportive roles in
Lollywood movies. He starred in more than 500
Urdu,
Punjabi
Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan
* Punjabi language
* Punjabi people
* Punjabi dialects and languages
Punjabi may also refer to:
* Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
,
Sindhi, and
Pashto films.
Early life and family
Saqi was born on April 2, 1925, in
Baghdad,
Iraq, where his father had been appointed during the
first world war and later stayed there for a while as a railway employee. Saqi belonged to a
Baloch
Baloch, also spelled Baloch, Beluch and in other ways, may refer to:
* Baloch people, an ethnic group of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan
* Baluch, a small itinerant community of Afghanistan
* Balouch, Azad Kashmir, a town in Pakistan
* Baloch (s ...
family settled in
Dadu District,
Sindh
Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
. His mother was a
Kurd ug:كۇردلار
Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian peoples, Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Ir ...
from Iraq. His step-brother ''Abdul Karim Baloch'' served as a general manager at
PTV, Karachi Center.
Career
Saqi could speak more than 10 languages and his ability to speak English fluently helped him gain a small role in an international film ''
Bhowani Junction
''Bhowani Junction'' is a 1954 novel by John Masters, which was the basis of a 1956 film starring Ava Gardner and Stewart Granger. It is set amidst the turbulence of the British withdrawal from India. It is notable for its portrayal of the Eu ...
'' (1956) which was partly shot in
Lahore. His first Urdu film ''Ilteja'' was released in 1955. He appeared in a leading role along with
Nighat Sultana in the movie ''Lakhpati'' (1958). In 1959, he played a role of a snake charmer in the film ''Nagin''. Another important film in his career was the 1967 release ''
Lakhon Mein Aik''. He was mostly cast in character and villain roles.
Saqi worked in over 500 Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, and Pashto films. He also produced two films, ''Paapi'' (1968) and ''Hum Log'' (1970), but they couldn't get box office success. He also played significant roles in TV plays like ''Deewarein'', ''Jungle'', and ''Gardish''. He introduced two male playback singers
Mujeeb Aalam and
Masood Rana to
Lollywood films. His last film ''Dushmani'' was released in 1990, four years after his death.
Personal life and death
From his first marriage, Saqi had two girls and four sons. Later, he also married the actress
Yasmeen Khan who used to work in
Pashto films.
Saqi died on 22 December 1986.
Selected filmography
* ''Iltija'' (1955)
* ''
Raaz'' (1957)
* ''Lakhpati'' (1958)
* ''
Sassi Punnu'' (1958)
* ''Nagin'' (1959)
* ''Raat Kay Rahi'' (1960)
* ''
Izzat'' (1960)
* ''Bombay Wala'' (1961)
* ''
Shaheed'' (1962)
* ''Hazar Dastan'' (1965)
* ''
Aag Ka Darya
''Aag Ka Darya'' ( ur, ; ''River of Fire'') is a landmark historical novel written by Qurratulain Hyder providing context to the traumatic partition of the Indian subcontinent into two nation-states. It has been described as "one of the Indian ...
'' (1966)
* ''
Lakhon Mein Aik'' (1967)
* ''
Zarqa'' (1969)
* ''
Naseeb Apna Apna'' (1970)
* ''
Permit'' (1979)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saqi (actor)
1925 births
1986 deaths
Pakistani film actors
Baloch people
People from Dadu District
Pakistani male film actors
Pakistani television actors